Color-printing web



l Aug-46', 1940. H. Tl'LLET-r COLOR PRINTING WEB Filed Jan. ys1,Q 1939 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Y G. H. TlLLETT COLOR PRINTING WEB Filed Jan. 31, 1939 Aug. 6, 1940.

4 sheets-sheet 2 s EET L M Y Q .w Q NSN n N fsm w N m wm RN NNN Aug- 6, 1940. l 5.- H. 'rlLLET-r 2,210,474

COLOR PRINTING WEB Filed Jan. 3l, 1939 4f" Y 'W aya. r

id 'M30-629 fr' j2ff 'nvemor/ y j WMM, www

*Iggy/M@ 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 l ramadan. s, 1940 PATENT oFFlcE e 2,210,474 coma-mma wEa l George naamw rmett, cnesnam non, England,

assigner of one-half to Charles Ashton Lister,

' Redhill, Surrey, England Application January-s1, Tasa-serial No. In Great Britain February 5, 1938 s claims'. (ci. 1o 1 1zc) i operative position in -relation to e web on fthe foruse inintermittently prin ng repeats on 'I'his'invention is for improvements in` or relating to color-printing machines for printing repeat patterns by means of a stencil upon conl tinuous lengths of fabric, paper or the like. hereinafterreferred-to generally as webs, and methods ofv color-printing the same.

.Heretofore, such webs have been hand printed on long trestles or tables, by meansof a manually-operated stencil, such as a silk screen,

mounted in a frame, and the present invention hasfor its main object to provide an improved method of color-printing webs bymeans of. stencils which shall effect a very considerable saving of time and labour asl compared with the .15 methods used heretofore.

Another object is to-'provide an improved colorprinting machine for printing webs by means of a stencil which shalloccupy avery much smaller space, and can be operated -at a much higher;

speed than the apparatus used heretofore.

According to the invention there Ais provided a method of colorprinting webs by means of a 'stencil throughwhich theink is-supplied to an underlying web on a supporting bed, consisting in feeding the web intermittently over the bed after one'prlnting operation a distance equal to the width. of the print measured in the direction of length of the web, and printing they web after each intermittent feed thereof, whereby the web has applied tov it a plurality .of repeats adjacent to one another.

`liilterfnatively, the method may consist in feeding the web after one printing operation a. clistance equal to twice the width of the print meas- 5 ured in the direction of length of the web, then printing on the web again and so on, whereby,

the web has applied to it a piuralityof spaced repeatsthat alternate with spaces ofthe same width as the repeats, and then reversing the o -direction-of feed of the web and: printing alter nate repeats at the spaces in register with the .first-mentioned spaced repeats. l

Preferably, the web, when being provided with vthe said 'spaced'repeats is unwound from a feed roll, passesover the bed and is 4wound up on a take-up or hatching roll, which serves as a feed roll when the direction of feed is reversedhand the alternate repeats are e Conveniently, two cylinders or drums alter- 50 nately serve one as a feed roll, and the other as a take-ufroll for vthe web. l

The invention also provides a machine for-col- :ir-printing webs ,comprising a bed for supporting the 'web to be printed, a piwoted stencil frame 55 carrying a stencil movable into and 'out ofan" 3 3 .in Figurel; andl tions.

Preferabiy,-the feed means comprisesa com- `bined take-upandfeed batchingroll, and means` for rotating it to receive-the web afterv it has been printed witha plurality of 'adjoiningzrepeats or a plurality of spaced repeats that alternate'with spaces of the same width as the repeats.

' The-feed means may comprise two combined .feed and take-up hatching rolls eachl serving alintermittently feeding the web over ternatelyfor feeding andtaking upthe web as set forth in the preceding paragraph during the 4printing of the/spaced land alternate repeats.

' The improved machine is preferably used with a web amxed, while dat. by adhesive to a fiat carrier band, and the feed means preferably comprises a feed roll and take-up roll each of such a diameter that when the'. band lies on it, the

` curvature is such that theA difference in length of the radii of curvature of the web and band is negligible as .regards its edect on the relative degree of tension to which the web and band are subjected due to their curvature. f

'Ihe 4web may extend over the bed between two hatching rolls lat opposite ends of the bed. -andmay pass over positioning means for positioning the web, with or without a carrier band therefor, on the bed in a direction transversely -of the direction of travel ofthe web.

Each batching rollA maybe provided with means for supplying conditioned alr'to the printed webon it... 'L

The invention will now be described by way of example with `reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure lis an elevation showing one form of cclor-printing'.machinef=.according to the invention for carrying the improved method into practice, v

'Figure 2 is atop plan view thereof, and

Figure 3 is avertical section taken on the line taken' on'the line 4-4- in Figure y2; A

Figure 5 is a sectional elevation, on a scale ie-tsusectional new f v tion, and

2 Figure 5, but with the soueegee in another -posi- Figure 7 is a side elevationvof thev lifted stencil frame, and

Figure 8 is a diagrammatic sectional view on an enlarged scale illustrating a carrier band carrying the web to be printed on, and optical regis tering means for the web.

Like reference characters designate like parts' throughout the several views.

Referring ilrst to Figures 1 to 3, a color-printing machine for printing fabrics and the like according to the method described above; comprises a vmain frame having legs I0 carrying an upper horizontal portion I2 which carries a horizontal table'or bed lI4 for supporting a web I8 to be printed upon in color by means of a stencil mounted on a stencil frame as described hereinafter.

Two hatching rolls I8, 28 are respectively journalled by means of spindles 22, 24 in bearings 28, 28,. respectively, on the frame at its- Athe printed web, or -both feeding and taking up the web. As shown at 38, the spindles may have annular grooves for receiving co-operating annular ribs 'of the bearings and thereby position- I ing the rolls-in the frame in the axial direction of their spindles. 'l 'l Positioning means for positioning the web I8,

with or without a carrier band, on the bed in a direction transversely of the length of the web, comprises two guide rollers 32, 34, situated between the ends of the bed I4 and Vthe rens. These rollers 82, 34 carry flanged `collars 88 slidable along them and carrying fixing screws 81. The distance between the two flanges of each of these rollers is equal to the width of the webyorof the -band carrying the latter. u

The hatching rolls I8,'28 maybe rotated inany convenient manner. driven belt drive yof similar, construction is provided for each roll: Eachbelt drive comprises a grooved pulley 38 of relatively large diameter on one end of the drum, and a smaller g'rooved pulley 48 fast on a shaft 42 that is journalled in .the frame andcarries at the front side of the latter, a h and wheel 4 4,a belt 48. or other flexible tron member being carried'by thepulleys 88, 48. By 'rotating one or other of the hand wheelsv44, the web I8 can be fed in either direction over the bed I4.

.In some cases, the rolls I8, 20 may be powerdriven, e. g. lby an electric motor, and may be tion drive or chain gear which admits of slip,

geared together by gearing, such as a spiral fricso that the peripheral speeds 'ofA the two rolls shall be uniform even when their diameter changes owing to variation in the amount of -web wound on them.

When' power driven, there may be combined with each hatching rollor drum, braking means, not shown, for instantaneously stopping it when desired; the brakes may be operated by a spring and held oil.' against the action of 'the spring by an electromagnetic devicewhich controls a catch. The electric circuit may be of known arrangement, but may pass through contacts arranged immediately abovethe pathof the web over the bed, so that when other contacts'placed on the web arrive at apredetermined situa- As illustrated, a manuallyto the printed web thereon. 'Ihis means maycomprise a supply conduit or trunk 48 for supplying duid drying medium, e. g. hot or cold air,

to two chambers 48, 80 having outlets 5I, 52, respectively, which embrace the rolls at their peripheries. Conditioned air escaping from the chambers 49, 88 may serve to dry the printed web before it is actually rolled round one of the batching rolls.

Before being inserted into the machine, and

beforebeing printed, the.,web, which may bea textile fabric such as cotton, linen, natural silk or artificial silk, or wool, is preferably fixed by an adhesive, such as gum, to a` carrier band-which preferably consists of relatively stiff material,

such as linoleum, American cloth, rubberisedv woven `'fabric such as duck, or stiff paper which may waxed or waterproofed. `A fragment of 4 such a carrier'band. V54, together with the rweb I8 affixed thereto, is diagrammatically illustrated in Figure 8 on an enlarged scale.

When thecarrier band 54 is waxed.. the web I8-may in some cases be fixed by means of a heated roller without the use of an additional adhesive. Stiff paper, known in the trade as glazed buil' casing, is suitable as a carrier band;

l positioned on the bedv I4 by the discs or flanges 88 on the guide rollers 82, 84.

As shown mostclearly in Figures stencil 88, such as a silk screen, is carried in va stencil frame designated generally 88. This frame 88 can'ies a rectangular mount 80,' e. g. of

wood, having the stencil 88 at its underside. Al

rectangular frame having a rear end member 82, side members I82, and a front end member 88, .preferably of metal, is pivotally mounted by .means 'of its rear end member 82 at 88 on the A second rear upper part I2 of the main frame. end member .88, and a second front end member 81 are adjustable endwise in this frame 82, |82,

88 by means of nut-equipped screws fixed to their ends. The side members |82v carry guide rails 84 constituted by metal tubes, and two sleeves 88 constituting bearings are slidable one along each rail. `These sleeves 88 may make a sliding fit with the rails 84, or, alternativelyfrotatory.

' bodies, such as steell balls, may be .arranged within each sleeve, in which case ,closure means at the ends ofthe sleeves will preferably be provided for retaining the balls therein. AA squeegee 18, constituted by a strip of rubber carried byl a bar. 12 forming the head of the squeegee, is reciprocable over the stencil, and is mounted on the sleeves 88 so as to be freely slidable in the stencil frame from one end thereof to the other. A s illustrated, two bars 14, 18, each of inverted L- shape in cross-section,- carry the bar 'I2 of the squeegee between them, and are operatively connected to the sleeves 88.

The squeegee is provided with a handle member 'I8 that is relatively long, e. g.` substantially as it may contain'casein for waterproofing it. When long as thel width of tn eweb. so that an'opertor at the frontside of the machine'can readily re- `ciproca'te the squeegee the entire length of the l U-section which lie along and embrace the sleeves 88 and are-pivoted to their ends at 82. Conseq uently, whenthe handle member 18 is lifted tothe position .shown 'in Figure 6, the squeegee -10 can'be moved fromthe front to the. rear side' of lthe mass of color indicated at .84 that may have collected near the rear end of the screen during the printing operation.

The mount 80 carrying the stencil 5 8 may be supported in the stencil frame inv any convenient manner'. As illustrated, the rear' end of this mount is'supported by-two lugs 88 xed to I'the member 88 of the stencil frame, while, as

shown most clearly in Figure. 4, the front end of .the mount 80 carries two headed screws 88 extending forwardly from it.l The memberV 8 1 of the stencil frame is ofA L section, on'the lower horizontal web 89 of which the screws 88 rest and support the mount 80. In'order lto fix these screws 88 in position, a flat bar 90 is placed over them, and an L-shaped bar 92 is vplaced thereon. I'hese bars are perforated to receive nut-equipped studs which are carried by the horizontal limb 88 of the member 81.

Lifting means is provided for `rocking the stencil frame upwards and .thereby lifting the stencil 58. vaway from the web beneath it. As shownmost clearly in Figures 1, 3 -and '7, this lifting 'meansf comprises a. treadle member 88 that is pivoted at 98 at the rear side of the main frame and extends towards the front side where."

it is attached atr| to one end of a cord-|02, chain orthe like that is carried-by a pulley |04 and has its other end -connectedto the lower end of a vertical lifting rod |08 that is movable in' guides |08 on the main frame and has at its upper end a shoe I|0 supporting the front end member 83. By depressing the frontend of the treadle 98 with the foot, the stencil frame can be readily lifted from its operative p osition shown in Figures 5 and 6 to its elevated position shown L in 'Figure 7, in which position the printed webcan be readily removed from the machine and a new one inserted. If desired, .the lifting means of the stencil frame may be manually operable. Means for marking the web or its carrier band for registering purposes is provided at vany conveulent situation on the top of the main frame. As shown most clearly in Figures 2 and 7, a' marking'device comprises an inked pad-I I4 provided on the bed Il at a` situation` adjacent to the front longitudinal edge of the web. An inking roller IIS carried by a blade spring ||8 attached to the under side of the end member 8'8- of the stencil frame is so arranged that when the stencil frame is lifted in its position shown in Figure 7, the ink roller H8 is on the pad Ill, lbut when the stencil frame islowered, the roller runs on to, the web I8, or its carrier band, and makes a mark, which may be electrically-conducting, thereon. y

When the machine is in use, the web 4I8 alone, or the vcarrier band 54 with the web I8 on it, is wound almost completely on to one hatching drum and printing is commenced at one end ofl lThe squeegee with ts head and'su'pporting isi preferably so heavy that when -an operator the` web. Therst impression is made by lowering the stencil frame, and reciprocating the squeegee 10 after color has been supplied to the vtop face of the stencil, whereuponthe stencilis rocked upwards by the described lifting means, this movement preferably being assisted by one or more counterweights each adjustably carried by an arm |22 xed to the stencil frame at -its rear end. The web is then fed forwards a distance equal to the width of the print measured inthe direction of length of the"web,'whereupon the stencil is lifted again, the web is fed forwards the .same distance, and so on, whereby the web has applied to Vit a plurality of repeats adjacent to one another. Each time the stencil is lowered,

a mark is made by the printing roller I|8 on the web or its'band, and when the web is fed forward', this mark is placed into register with an index |24 marked on the top ofthe bed I4, as shown in Flgure'2. When commencing printing of a web, the index |24 l be placed at such a di'stance from the mar g'rolli* 'I I8 that it is exactly vequal to the widthof alrepeat tobe printed.

Instead of printing the repeats adjacent to one another, the machine may be so operated by turning .a hatching roll that the web is fed for-- wards each time a distance equal to twice the width of the print measured in the direction ofv length of the web, so that the web has applied to' it a plurality of spaced repeats that alternate with spaces of the same width as'the repeats. The web, provided with spaced repeats, will-then befed intermittently over'the bed again, in the nate repeats will be printed -at the spaces-in 'same or in the opposite direction, and thealter- If the direction of. feed is reversed, the batchin'g drum on which the web is rst taken up becomes a feed drum, and the web provided withadjacent repeatsalong its length is wound up on the drum first used which becomes a take-up drum. This operation-may be repeated as many times as Iisv necessary for vproviding a finished pattern on the y web, depending on the number of colors that have to be used. v

When an electric motor is used for operating the machine, electrical contacts may be arranged to o o-operate with 'printed graphite or the like on theband which are preferably movableso that adjustments of the control can be made. Also.

provision may be made that the operation o f .f

raising the stencil frame ensures that brakes'provided on the motor-*drivendrums shall be released therefrom.

Owing. the the drumsbeing readily detachable from their bearinga'either of them can be used as a hatching drum, on to vwhich an' unprinted web can be wound in the vrst instance -to serve as afeed drum. Instead of winding the-web, with or without'its carrier band, on to one lof the two' hatching drums, howevenwhen commencing the printing `of a web, the same may be unwoundV from a separate -feed spindle distinct from the hatching drums .mounted in any 'convenient position atothe feed-end of the bed.'

for effecting the 'printing operation. Ii desired,

the pressure under gravity can be varied .by add` ing weights to or removing them from the squeegee, or by using parts, such as light or heavier materials.

In some cases, optical positioning means may be provided for registering purposes. As diagrammatically shown i`n Figure 8, such positioning means may comprise a mark in the form .of a hole v|26 in -the carrier band 54, and optical enlarging means for producing an enlarged image of the markon a screen |28 or like surface visible by the operator. This enlarging means may comprise a source of light |30 below the bed for squeegee heads, of

directing a beam of light through the hole on to the screen' situated above the machine. If desired, a magnifying lens |32 may be situated between the screen and the hole. The stencil frame may carry a punch, not shown, for punching a hole in the carrier band each time the stencil is lowered for performing a printingv operation.v

When commencing printing of a web, two holes accurately spacedapart the correct distance according to`the repeats are made in the carrier band, the first serving for the production of an image in the form of la circular disc of light on the screen, -and the second preferably beingV punched when printing the first repeat. Before feeding the web, a positioning circle or other permanent'mark may be drawn on the screen |28 tocorrespond with the image of the hole enlarged by the lens. This enables vthe operator to move the carrier band until the enlarged image formed by the second hole registers exactly with the circle or other mark drawn on the screen.

Various modifications may be made in the details of construction described above without de` distance equal to twice the width of the print measured in the direction of length of the web, printing the web again, then feeding the web the same distance in the same direction and printing on it again, and so on, whereby the web has applied to it a plurality of spaced repeats that alternate with spaces of the same width as the repeats, and then intermittently feeding the web provided with spaced repeats over' the bed and printing alternate repeats at the spaces in registerV with the first-mentioned spaced repeats.

2. A method of color-printing` webs according to claim 1, wherein, after printing the first-mentioned spaced repeats, the direction of feed of the web is reversed for printing the alternate repeats.

3. A 'method of color-printing webs by. means bearings. y

2,210,474. l l v .Y of a stencil, through which the color is applied to an underlying-web on a supporting bed,com'

prising the steps of feeding the web fromla feed roll over the bed in one direction after one print-g ing operation a distance equal to twice the width@ of the print measured in the direction of length i of the web, printing the web again, then feedingv .A

the web the same distance in thev same direction and printing it again, and so on, winding on atake-up 'roll the web having applied to itA av plurality of spaced repeats that alternate with spaces -of the same width -as the repeats, then using the take-up roll as a feed roll and intermittently feeding the web provided with` spaced repeatsl over the bed in the opposite direction and printing alternate repeats at the spaces in register with the flrstmentioned repeats, and taking up v the web provided with adjacent repeats on the first-mentioned feed'roll. y r

4. A machine for color-printing ebs, comprising a bed for supporting the we to be printed,

'a pivoted stencil frame carrying a stencil movable into and out of an operative position'in relation to the web on the bed for use in intermittently lprinting repeats on the web in the direction of its length, `feed means for intermittently feeding the web over the bed, andautomatic marking means comprising a marking vmember that is carried by the stencil frame, which marking means contacts the web and'marxs'it each time `the stencil is moved from its inoperative to its operative .position in relation to the web.

5. A machine for color-printing webs, comprising a bed for supporting the web to be printed, a

pivoted stencil frame carrying .a stencil movable into and out of an operative position in relation to the web on the bed for use in intermittently printing repeats on the web in the direction ol its length, feed means for intermittently feeding the web over the bed. and automatic marking means for marking the web, which marking means com'- prises an inked pad fixed in relation tothe web. and an inking miler that. is carried by the stencil frame vand is movable from of! the pad towards the web, when the stencil is placed on to the web,

and is returned to the .pad when the stencil is removed from the web.

6. A machine for color-printingwebs, comprising a bed for supporting the web to be printed, a stencil frame carrying a' stencil movable into and out of an operative position in relation lto the web on the bed for use in intermittently print.- ing repeatsv on the webin the direction of` its length, feed means` for intermittently feeding the web over the bed, twobearings siidable freely on the stencil` frame in aA direction lying transversely of the length of the bed,=and a squeegeeV carried'by vsaid bearings, which squeegee has a sov handle member substantially as'long as the width n of the web, and is pivotally mounted on said .GEORGE HADIJOW TIILETI.

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